Method of producing a retarded combustion of a gas-flame.



H.L.D0HERTY.

METHOD 0F PRODUCING A RETARDED COMBUSTION OP A GAS FLAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

H. L.'DOHERTY.

METHOD 0F PRODUGING A RBTARDED GOMBUSTION 0F A GAS FLAME.

'APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1911.

E, 9G69), Patented Aug. 12, V1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L l E @0.,

wwf/wonen Y@ wu@ nto@ HENRY L. DOI-IERTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF PRODUCING- A RETARDED COMBUSTION OF A GAS-FLAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug'. 12,1913.

Applicationled January 17, 1911. Serial No. 603,091.`

To all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY L. DoHER'rY, a citizen of the United States, and a" resident of New York city, 'in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing a Retarded Combustion of a Gas-F lame, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesk to a method of producing a retarded combustion of a gas flame, with particular reference to retarding the combustion in the heating flues of a coke oven.

The object of my invention is to furnish a method by means of which the combustion in the heating flues of an apparatus of the type specified may be made to take place between separate and parallel streams of gas and air, whereby the said combustion is retarded and the flame thereof prolonged so that a more uniform heating effect is secured in the heating flues.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section thro-ugh a coke oven, adapted for utilizing my invention, on three different vertical planes. The part included between the lines A B and C D is a sect-ion through the heating fines of one side of the oven on the line L M of Fig. 2. The part included between the lines C D and E F is through the middle of the bottom heating Hue on the same side of the oven on the line N-O of F ig. 2. The part E-G-.H-I*J-F is a section on the medial vertical plane through the flues of the producer gas and air recuperators o-n one side of the oven on the line P-Q of Fig. 2, while the part G-K-I-H is a vertical section of the gas producer of the oven on the medial plane of the oven through the line R-S of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a composite vertical cross-section on t-he lilies a-b--c Z and e-f of Fig. 1, the left hand half of the oven being on the former line and the right half ou the latter line.

l, 2, 3, 4, 5, G and 7 are the heating o-r combustion fines of the oven. The flues 8 and 9, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, are, respectively, the gas and air liues in the side wall of the oven from which the respective currents are distributed to t-he several combustion flues.

10, 11 and 12 are the ports through which the gas enters, respectively, the ues 1, 3 and 5.

13, 14 and 15 are the ports through which the air enters, respectively, the ues 2, 4 and 6.

The ports 10, 11 and 12 are in communication with the gas distributing flue 8, while the ports 13, 14 and 15 are in communication with the air distributing flue 9. Dampers, 10', 11 and 12', control the admission of gas through the respective gas ports, while corresponding damper-s, 13, 14 and 15', regulate the admission of air through the respective air ports. Hand-holes, 1.6, 17 and 18, provide a means of access to the dampers 10', 11 and 12', respectively, while corresponding hand-holes, 19, 20 and 21, provide a means of access to the dampers 13, 14 and 15, holes 16, 17 and 18 are closed by the removable plugs or covers, 16, 17 and 18', respectively. Similar covers, 19', 20 and 21, close the hand-holes 19, 20 and 21. Horizontal partitions, 22, separate the several flues 1, 2, etc. These partitions, 22, are

considerably sho-rter than the flues themselves so that the adjacent flues are in communication through openings 23. The partitions 22 are laid baffled so that they form a continuous return-bend passage of the several flues 1, 2, 3, etc. Immediately over the gas and air ports are laid short horizontal partitions, numbered 24 and 25, respectively, for the gas ports 11 and 12, and 20, 27 and 28, respectively, for the air ports, r13, 14 and 15. furnish passages for the discharge of t-he combustion gases from the lowest combustion flue, 7 The port 29 communicates with the passage 32 leading to the ash pit of the gas producer of the apparatus. Port 30 communicates with a recuperator for heating the producer gas, port 31 with a recuperator for heating the air used in the combustion of the heated gas, which gas is supplied through the flue 8.

The method of operating my invention is as follows:-Highly heated producer gas, from the gas producer 33 of the apparat-us, passes through the producer gas recuperator 34 and ascends through the flue 8 in the side wall of the oven (shown dot-ted in Fig.

1 of the drawing) and passes through the several ports, 10, 11 and l2, into the combustion flues 1, 3 and 5. The portion of gas entering the flue 1 through the port 10 flows along that iueto the end thereof and thence through the opening 23 into the flue 2. The

respectively. The hand.

Ports 29, 30 and 31l partition or battle 2G gives the gas a horizontal movement along the upper part of flue 2. I-Ieated air, from the air recuperator or regenera-tor of the apparatus, ascends through the air flue 9, and passes through the ports 13, 14 andv 15 into the fines 2, 4 and G. The air entering through 13 is prevented by the battle 26 from immediately mingling with the gas current entering 2 ythrough the opening 23. The baille serves to break up the eddies formed in the stream on its en` trance into the flue 2 and causes the air stream to assume a horizontal motion in the lower part of flue 2. The position of the baffle 26 should be such that the cross-section of the gas and air passages, respectively, above and below the baffle will be proportional to the volume of the respective currents.- If the baille has been properly located, the gas and air streams will have approximately the same velocity in the flue 2.

Under this condition there is a tendency in` each stream to maintain its integrity for an appreciable distance into the flue 2. Combustion takes place along the plane of contact of the two streams and the eddies set up eventually eiect a thorough mixture of the gas and air and insure a complete combustion of that element of combustion present in minor proportion. The mixing of the two streams, however, takes an appreciable time, with the result that the comy bustion is prolonged throughout the length of the flue. The combustiony gases and excess of air discharge from 2 through the opening 231I into the flue 3. rIhe baille, 24, serves to give the current from 2 a horizontal motion in the upper part of lue 3. A further portion of producer gas is admitted through the port 11, and is prevented from coming at once into contact with the stream from 2 by the baiile 24. 24 acts in the same way as 26 to form two parallel streams, one

stream superimposed above the other, the

upper in this case being air .and combustion gases and the lower stream producer gas. As in 2, the two currents of air and gas flow along the flue 3, causing a prolonged combustion to take place throughout the length of the flue. The volume ofair introduced through 13 should be sufficient to, not only,

burn the gas admitted through 10, but to the length of leave an excess of air suficient to burn about one-half of the gas' admitted through 11. Air is admitted, through 14, in volume about double the air equivalent of (or the air required for the combustion of) the residual gas in the gaseous current flowing through the port23III into the flue 4. The baille, 27, forces the two streams to assume a parallel [motion through the flue 4, with the result of prolonging the combustion throughout the flue. A final volume of gas is admitted through 12, of about double theequivalent of the residual air (that is, double the gas required to burn with the residual air) in the stream entering 5 through the port 231V. The baffle, 25, forces the two streams to assume a parallel motion, pro-longing the combustion as before. The nal addition of air is made from the required to burn the gas admitted from 12. As before, a baffle, 28, causes the two streams to assume a parallel movement in the combustion flue, prolonging the flame therein. rllhe combustio-n gases discharge from 6 through the port 23VI into the lue 7 At the inlet end of flue 7 while the combustion gases still have a high temperature, a portion is diverted through the port 29 through the flue 32 to the producer, while the'balance of the combustion gases discharge from 7 thro-ugh the ports 30 and 31.

The method of carrying out the combustion in the lues by adding successive portions of gas and air, alternately, I do not here claim specifically, but claim in my copending application, Ser. No. 603088, led Jan. 17th, 1911.

By means of my invention I am able'to 'port 15, in this case limited to the volume secure a prolonged flame of burning gas exl tending throughout the length of the long return-bend passage 'formed by the several flues 1, 2, 3, etc. By properly regulating the volumes of gas and air admitted through the ports, by means of the corresponding dampers, I am able to4 secure a very uniform heating effect throughout the full height of the oven. This results in the pro- .duction of avery uniform grade of coke.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The method of producing a retarded combustion which comprises, communicating a parallel .substantially horizontal movement in the same direction to a cur- 4rent of gas and a current of air, superimposing one of said currents upon the other to establish a single substantially horizontal zone of contact between the two currents, and subjectingthe two currents to a temperature that will insure ignition while the same. are in contact.

2. The lmethod of producing a retarded combustion which consists in communicating a parallel movement in the same direc-` tion at, approximately, the same velocity to a current of gas and a current of air, and then superimposing one current on the other in the presence of material heated to a temperature that will insure the ignition of said gas current along its surface of contact with said air, whereby the immediate mixture of the two currents is prevented and a prolonged combustion caused to take lace.

3. The method of producing a retarded combustion which consists introducing a current of gas into a combustion space and separately introducing a current of air into thesaid combusti-on space, the said currents being introduced at approximately the same velocity, Whereby friction between the two currents with the consequent formation of eddy currents is too a large extent avoided. the volume of said air being in excess of that required to burn' said gas, the two cur'- rents of air and gas being given a parallel motion in the same direction before being brought into contact, and in adding. to the gases from the combustion of said gas and air, alternately, additional currents of gas and air, the current of the products of combustion and the respective gas and air currents being givenafparallel motion in the same direction before being brought into contact.

4. The method of producing a retarded combustion which consists Vin introducing a current of gas into a combustion space and in separately introducing a current of air into the said combustion space, the said currents being introduced at approximately the same velocity, 'whereby friction between said currents with the consequent formation of eddy currents is to a large extent avoid-` ed, the volume of said air being in excess of that required to' burn said gas, the two currents ofV air 'and gas being given a parallel motion in the same direction before being brought into contact, and in adding to the gases from the combustion of said gas and air, alternately, a current of gas and a current of air, the volume ofeach of said gas and air currents, relative to the current of combustion gases, being such as to establish'a momentary excess of gas or air as the case may be, the current -of` combustion gases and the respective gas and air currents :being given a parallel motion in the same direction before being brought into contact.

5. The method of producing a retarded combustion which `consists in intro-v the same 'direction before being brought into contact, and in adding to the gases from the combustion of said gas current, alternately, currents of Agas and currents of air, the current of products of combustion and the several gas and air currents being given a parallel motion in the saine direction before being brought into contact, and the volumes of the respective currents being regulated to that required to maintain the temperature of the current of products of combustion at, approximately, the temperature of the products of the initial coinbustion.

Signed at New York city 'in the county of New York and State of New York this 16th day of Jan. A. D. 1911.

HENRY L. DOHERTY.

VWitnesses J. M. McMiLLIN, F. L. BLACKBURN. 

